[AD] I’ve been self employed and working from home for a number of years now, first with my book touring business which I closed down last August and now entirely with my blog. I absolutely love my job and (almost) everything about it. If I don’t feel well, I can work in my pajamas. Every day is bring your dog to work day and I can watch Luther from the comfort of my bed on my lunch break.
Do I still feel a bit silly telling people “I’m a blogger!” when they ask what I do for a living? Yep. But that’s probably more a case of how we’re all conditioned to raise our eyebrows at anything “not normal”. But that’s a whole other post for a whole other time.
Like I said, I love almost everything about my job. The main thing I don’t like, is the fact that I don’t have an office or even a “work space”. I still live at home with my parents (and I have absolutely no shame in that – all our situations are different), my bedroom just isn’t big enough for a desk and there are no spare rooms in the house which I could realistically use.
We have a pretty big loft but it’s not livable. And do we have £35,000 going spare to get it converted? No we bloody don’t.
So despite still living at home with my parents, which at this point in my life, I really don’t mind. I’d love to move out one day (as I’m sure most people would!) and have my own dedicated office space. Although it’s obviously a stressful life change, I can imagine really enjoying the process of moving out and all the elements of it. From house hunting, to packing up and the removal process, which can be assisted with the likes of full house removal man and van companies!
And obviously, decorating my own office space!
So at the moment, I kinda just make do with what I have. Some days, I work from my bed. Dog on my lap. Some days, it’s the living room and others it’s the kitchen table. My Dad is also off work at the moment due to some health issues, so I also have to take him into consideration. Yes, it’s far from ideal. But that’s my reality and I make it work. There are lots of flexible offices to rent in Essex if I get too crazy!
However, we can all dream, right? I’d love an office one day, either in this house or a place of my own. And here are some elements I’d love in my own office:
Garden home office
Last year, we actually bought an extra shed for our garden and my Dad asked if I wanted it as my office. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too small. And it’d have cost too much to get all the proper electrics and heaters fitted (I mean, I’m writing this with snow on the ground, imagine working in an unheated shed!) but a garden home office would be absolute bliss!
I think I’d love the sense of actually going into a different building (albeit, only in the garden) and getting to work. The lack of distractions, the ability to make it entirely your own space and being disconnected from the comforts of your actual house would make a garden room a really good option for a home office.
Plenty of plants
And if a garden office wasn’t doable, then I’d definitely want plenty of plants in my office. I love nature and being surrounded by greenery definitely improves my mental health and keeps me calmer. I think I’d have a mixture of real and fake plants as well; real for the smell and the feeling of being close to nature and fake ones for decoration purposes.
A proper office chair
I suffer with really bad lower back pain and have done for a good few years now. I think it started from me standing funny all my life (when I’m standing still, I kinda drop into my left hip) but now almost anything can set it off – including sitting down for too long and the surfaces I find myself sitting on when I’m working sometimes (i.e my bed!) definitely don’t help. They can definitely be pricey but for the sake of my poor back, I’d definitely invest in a really high quality office chance. Preferably one that swivels. I miss swiveling.
Light walls and furnishings
I never want to be sat in a dark and dingy room all day (as opposed to my boyfriend who never wants to open the curtains) so my ideal home office would have to be bright, airy and definitely not contain any dark furnishings or materials. I’d love light colored walls, with white or light pine furniture and preferably a nice big window!
Making it my own
Obviously the purpose of an office is productivity and I wouldn’t want anything in there that would take away from that (i.e a PlayStation… because then I’d get nothing done) but I’d definitely want it to feel like my ‘space’. I’d want everything organised exactly how I like it with some finishing touches which make it a place I can’t wait to get to every morning, such as a few books, a cosy blanket, some candles, crystals and most definitely fair-lights!
Do you have a home office? If you do, how you do make it your own? Do you work from home but are in a similar situation to me? I’d love to hear your experiences of making self-employment and working from home work for you, without an office. And most importantly, what would be your key elements of your ideal home office?
* This is a sponsored post
Great info and thank you for sharing your personal situation.
IDK. Being a blogger can be considered “normal” by today’s standards 😀
I was always a home office “worker” and now I am in blogging too.
whenever ppl making funny faces I just laugh at them. and we can have a friendly conversation about why am I chose this. They usually realize how much freedom it can provide.
For the ideal home office, or let’s just say workstation I would say a laptop on a beach in the Caribbean. Not just there yet tho, but working on it 😀
Anyways turned out sitting too much is a not a great way to live. It causes all sorts of problems. so an ideal home office should consist a standing workstation. And a fitness room too.
Hey! the idea of garden home office seems so cool and of course.. It will work as motivation to a blogger and bring on great connect with nature. And not only to a blogger it seems good for any one who lacks space and privacy.
I liked the idea.. thank you:)
I love the idea of creating a work space. I don’t have one at home but I’m thinking of making one go encourage a greater productivity.
http://littlemissmelanie.com
Hope you manage to get one?
[…] my diet when the fridge is perilously close all the time, my essentials for working from home and what my ideal home office would be […]
I’m slowly trying to figure out what I want to do with my teeny office! I have shelves and a desk but I need to seriously decorate it this year. I want to invest in a chair and better lighting in there since it only has a tiny window!
Dee xoxo | TheDeeWhoLived
You’re so lucky you have an office, even if it is teeny!
Sounds wonderful!
Plants always make a massive difference in my opinion!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
They really do x
This looks so cute! I’ve just moved bed rooms and would love a little desk office space.
Hope you get one x
I don’t work from home as much as I’d love to do full-time blogging but when I do write at home, it’s so useful to have my own little desk as it helps me to be more productive. A garden office sounds like such a cool idea at first, but you’re so right, it would be freezing in the Winter if you didn’t have it properly kitted out with heaters! A lovely idea for the Summer though. A comfy chair is exactly what I need at home, the only thing letting my desk down at the moment is that my chair isn’t super comfy x
Alice // http://www.accordingtoalicex.com
Exactly! If it was all fitted properly with electricity, heating, insulation then it’d be amazing. But you couldn’t just go and sit in a standard shed 😂
I’m fortunate enough that although I live with my parents we have a spare room that I was able to turn into my blogger space. Even though I do this for a hobby it’s so nice to have a separate space. Before that I was exactly like you and although it’s great to work front your bed sometimes you need your own little space to give you inspiration and motivation. Great post!xo
Ah you’re so lucky! That would be ideal for me at the moment! c
Great post and lovely wishlist for your eventual home office, which I’m sure you’ll have one day! Unfortunately I don’t work from home but funnily enough, me and some girls I work with actually went out on our lunch break last week and bought loads of plants for the office. Totally agree that they can help to make you feel calmer. I’m also in the middle of redecorating my bedroom and I’m going for a light and airy feel. It’s definitely better for the mind ❤
http://www.missblogsabit.com
Ah that’s great! You can still make your own little “space” even if you work in an office 😌
I’d love to have a home office too, one day. One filled with plants and fairy lights and fuzzy rugs….
I think that would be an ideal writing space, for sure!
A fuzzy rug sounds good too!
I’m in a similar position to yourself, I currently live at home with my parents as I have health issues which means I can’t work for the time being. Also, my bedroom is quite small so I make do with a (very) tiny desk at the end of my bed. I think ideally I would love to have a garden home office, I think there are some fantastic looking sheds/flatpack buildings that would make for a great office. Also, I like the idea of having the office detached from my home so I’m away from distractions… as I am very easily distracted.
Jess xxx || http://littlepinkduckblog.blogspot.co.uk
Yeah that’s my thinking too, I’d love to feel like I was “going” to work, even if it’s just into the garden! x
I’ve always had a computer in my room ever since I was studying, so that desk just kinda turned into my blogging area too. I agree, bright, light, airy rooms are so much more welcoming and I love a touch of cosy too with fairy lights and books 🙂 I love the idea of a garden home office, that’s the perfect way to limit distractions and would be lovely in the summer. Having a desk is nice, but sometimes you can’t beat the comfort of blogging from your bed in PJs which such an awesome perk that comes with working at home. Great post Jenny <3 xxx
Bexa | http://www.hellobexa.com
Haha at least you get best of both worlds with having your desk near your bed! 😌 x
Currently, my home office is just our old computer on a folding card table. However, the computer is just mine (I let the kids play on it sometimes) with only my bookmarks and the pictures I want for my blog. Sharing a computer with another adult makes me cranky. It may not be a “room of one’s own,” but it will do for now.
Oh god the thought of sharing a computer with someone makes me wanna be sick haha! x
great post jenny! I don’t have a home office, one because I also live with my parents and two blogging isn’t my full time gig just yet (hoping to get there someday) however, I have also always loved the idea of having my own office. Having an area that just sparks creativity and is all mine, that I got to on my own without having to kiss the ass of some corporate ceo just sounds amazing! I’m like you and wouldn’t want any darkness in it, maybe in a few pieces but the walls would definitely be white with airy pastel objects all around. I have no doubt that you will get your home office one day, and I expect a blog post giving us a tour of it! xx
mich / simplymich.com
I bet your own space would definitely spark a lot of creativity! And I definitely will 😘 x
An office in your garden would be so cool! I was only saying last week I’d love to be able to work from home sometimes so I didn’t have to go out in the cold first thing in the morning to get to work. I always do my blogging work from my bed because I currently still live at home too.
Jess // foundationsandfairytales.wordpress.com
xx
I definitely don’t fancy the cold commutes! But I’d definitely love an office garden so I could feel like I was actually “going” to work x
That’s my dream too.
With to kids and living in a tiny apartment, there is no room for a real workspace. I have a small desk, but it’s rubbish for working at, so I always sit at the dinner table or on the couch.
My dream is to one day have a real office, and I like the idea of a garden office. That is brilliant.
Hope you manage to get yourself your own space one day! For a writer like you I can imagine that being so been beneficial x
I currently work from home too and I love my home office x
http://www.ofbeautyandnothingness.co.uk
I’m very jealous x
I don’t work from home, but my master’s program is by distance so I’m working every day on my studies. I don’t have an office & instead I work in the living room. We recently got a new couch & it’s super comfy. There are also huge windows in the living room so there’s a lot of natural light & I have 6 plants by the windows lol. So even though I don’t have an office, I make it work!
Glad you can make it work for you!
I home office in a shed would have been so cool xx
It really would x
I used to have an office and it was my favourite room in the house, now I have to work from my dining room and it’s not as pretty! x
Oh no! That’s a shame! x
We have an office but I never work in it. My mum gets ready in there so there’s also hair products everywhere but I just don’t like it as a working space. I usually work from the sofa/ coffee table, dog on lap or next to me. I’d love a better, more welcoming office space though! x
Sophie
http://www.glowsteady.co.uk
Ah that’s a shame but you’ve gotta take other people in the house into consideration x
It’s tough to carve out a space to properly work from at home, especially if it’s as essential as air for your work! I really want some space, it I think my flat is too small and my other half works from the kitchen island. It’s ridiculous that a small one bed flat even has one!
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Ah that’s a shame, it can be so tough! x
I used to just work from bed or the living room but we managed to finish our little office a few weeks ago and it’s made such a difference. I think having something separate for me to come back too each day has helped massively with motivation, it’s also meant I’ve been able to give myself proper breaks too without just staying on my laptop all day which I’d do otherwise! I definitely need a proper chair though, you wouldn’t think sitting down for so long could cause pain! xx
Tiffany x http://www.foodandotherloves.co.uk
That sounds like the dream! Sitting down really does cause a lot of pain haha xxx
With living on a boat, our space is also limited 😊 I love those garden office spaces, they’re a dream office to me 😊
Oh wow! Living on a boat sounds amazing though!
I would absolutely love to work in a calm, serene office surrounded by plants. Unfortunately, my desk at my 9-5 is an absolute state, and I don’t have one at home. A girl can dream!
Alice | Wonderlush | Sunflower Thoughts
Oh no! Maybe you can create your own little mini serene office desk 😌
I completely agree and relate with what you said about people raising an eyebrow when you tell when you’re a blogger as it’s the same for me – nightmare sometimes! I really enjoyed reading this blog post darling, thank you for sharing 💜
With love, Alisha Valerie x | http://www.alishavalerie.com
Thank you. It’s so annoying like come on, it’s 2019 🤦♀️
I do all my blogging from my bed but I have to lay on my left side as sitting up causes too much pain. I can tell you that is a real challenge when trying to take photos lol I have to have it all set up on the end of the bed, Thankfully I have help to do that – I’m very bossy and nitpicky apparently lol I would have loved a home office though. Like you I’d like a light, bright and airy space, probably very minimal too. Ahhh a girl can dream, eh! 🙂
Sarah 🌺 || Boxnip
Minimal would definitely be an element of mine too! Too much stuff, mess and clutter makes me so much less productive!
I do not work from home as a source of income yet. I am at the beginning of my five-year plan to do so though. I do, however, live at home with my mother and have converted half of my room into my studio. I make handmade journals and other mixed media art and dedicating half of my room to set up what I consider to be my studio/office has been the best thing I’ve ever done. I have a small space also with large pieces of non-movable furniture that I had to work around but with some creativity, a chair with wheels, storage containers and my bed doubling as a second desk, I couldn’t be happier. In fact, I rarely leave my room!! If you would like I can email you some pictures so perhaps you can see some ideas. I’ve had to rearrange things a time or two but that is because I was making it to where I work smarter, not harder.
That’s great that you’ve made that work for you! Unfortunately it 100% isn’t doable in my room. My room is too small and my boyfriend lives with me as well.
Oh, I see.